


Change

by Beeee



Category: Kingdom Hearts
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Post-Kingdom Hearts Dream Drop Distance
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2016-08-01
Updated: 2016-08-01
Packaged: 2018-07-28 14:18:17
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,059
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/7644265
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Beeee/pseuds/Beeee
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>Sora notices a few things about Riku</p>
            </blockquote>





	Change

**Author's Note:**

> This goes with Growth but I guess it doesn't really matter which one you read first. It was nice receiving feedback from Growth so quickly! It encouraged me to finish this one up and post it. I have a couple of other ideas I want to write up too. I hope you enjoy it!!

Riku had changed.

Well, duh, had been Donald’s response when he’d commented on it like he couldn't believe how dumb Sora was for suggesting it. Sora was not as dumb as some people thought him to be. He just tended to speak before he thought things through is all. He spoke from the heart is what his mother used to say. 

But Riku had changed. Sora would know, he knew him best after all. He was much taller now and more handsome, he didn’t think that was even possible! He was also quieter. The Riku he was used to never wasted an opportunity to tease and poke fun but this Riku was wiser and more mature, and while he still joked around, seemed more content to just watch everyone...more specifically, Sora. 

Riku was very observant now. Sure, he’d been observant before but it was a whole new level now. Sora felt his eyes on him when he was training or whenever he was talking to someone else. He could tell Riku watched him more than paid attention to what he was saying especially since he was constantly asking him to repeat himself. Sora found himself touching Riku more often. He would play with the other’s new shorter hair or pull the other's hand into his, if Riku noticed, he didn’t say anything. That was a change too.

It was so unlike him but Sora didn’t say anything about it. He didn’t even mention it to Kairi. Of course Riku had changed. He’d gone through different things than Sora had…more difficult things than he liked to imagine. He accepted this Riku because it was still _his_ Riku and that’s what mattered.

He’d been afraid of the Mark of Mastery exam, not for himself, but for Riku. Another thing that had changed in Riku was his confidence. Riku was always more than sure he could accomplish anything, usually better than Sora, but now he was hesitant to even wield the keyblade. He knew that Riku was worthy of the keyblade and he knew that Riku was capable of anything. But maybe this change had been too great and maybe Sora refused to let go of the Riku he knew or maybe he was wrong and everything would be okay. They’d never know if they didn’t try. So together they proved their worth, and he’d been right, Riku was a Master but Sora still had some to work to do.

There was another change in Riku after that. Riku seemed more relaxed now. He wasn’t the person he used to be, he probably never would be. Riku would probably say that person was weak and he didn’t want to be that person anymore…but that Riku had been his best friend too. Change was hard.

“Huh? Where?” Sora was indignant when Riku didn’t seem to be paying attention but to be fair he didn’t’ really know what he’d been saying either. Why had he been talking about Mulan? Maybe because he’d missed Riku the most then. He’d been so close to him at the point that it took everything in him not to cry after he realized he’d have to keep looking. 

“In the Land of Dragons! The emperor said he met a rude young man in a black coat and I’m pretty sure it was you on the snowy cliff.” He was positive it was Riku.

“Gee, thanks!” Riku shoved him playfully and Sora laughed because he’d missed this. “But yeah, that was me. I was trying to make sure you idiots got to where you needed to get. It’s so hard to get you to follow simple directions.”

“Hey!” Sora said offended. If anyone was hard to maneuver, it was Riku. “If you had just told me the truth from the beginning, it wouldn’t have been so hard! Instead, you did the lone wolf thing and shut me out. I think you thought I need a lot of protecting.”

“It wasn’t that. I guess…I just hadn’t noticed how much you’d grown….how much you’d changed.” There it was again, that pesky word…change. Had Sora really changed that much? He supposed he’d grown even if he was still the shorter of the two; thanks, genetics. But he got the feeling Riku meant something else. Maybe that’s why Riku was so observant and quiet now? Something in Sora must be the reason why he was so different.

“…Is that a bad thing?” Sora asked. He tried to keep his anxiety to himself by looking down at his shoes. He knew Riku would notice anyway because Sora wasn’t very good with keeping his emotions inside.

He wasn’t prepared for the laughter though. Sora looked up at him in confusion but he couldn’t help but join him in laughter too. It had been so long since the two could just laugh together with no worries whatsoever. Sure, they were still in Yen Sid’s tower and they probably had to go on another journey but for now laughing was all they could do.

“Of course not. You’re finally using your brain. I knew you had it in you.” Riku teased. Sora let his outrage be known by swatting at him and attempting to put Riku in a headlock like he used to when they were kids and failed just like he used to. There were a lot of things that had changed but some things had stayed the same. If they'd stayed on the Islands maybe things would have never changed but Riku would have been miserable or more likely they would have been lost at sea on a little raft that wouldn't have gotten them far. Things had happened the way they were meant to happen and there was nothing either of them could do about it now except accept that they had changed because they had grown. 

He was ensnared by another memory of childhood that encouraged him to press a kiss to Riku’s cheek. He pulled him close and just held him there. Trapped him by tangling their fingers together. This is where he wanted Riku; by his side, to fight, to hold, to laugh with and cry with, and be with.

Riku would forever be connected to him and no matter how far he went or where he went, Sora would follow and _that_ would never change.


End file.
